Clapboard-holder



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.-

B. P. MOONEY.,

GLAPBOARD HOLDER.

No. 421,746. Patented Feb. 18, 1890.

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

No Model.)

B. F. MOONEY.

GLAPBOARD HOLDER..

No. 421,746. Y Patented Feb. 18, 1890.

UNITED STATES PATENT y OFFICE.A

BEJAMIN F. MOONEY, OF OLEA, NEV YORK.'

lCLAPBOARD-HOLDER.

SPECIFCATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 421,746, dated February 18, 1890.

Application filed April l5, 1889. Serial No. 307,373. (No model.)

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BENJAMIN F. MooNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Olean, in the county of Oattaraugus and State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Olapboard-l-lolders, of which the following is a specication:

This invention relates to devices for ing clapboards and supporting the same in proper position vrelative to each other ready to be nailed.

The object of the invention is to make the above work more perfect and to accomplish it more accurately and rapidly than heretofore.

The invention consists in the variously-com structed brackets provided. each with an adjustable gage, which may be set to a graduated scale, all of which will be fully set forth in the following specification and claims, and clearly illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, forming an inseparable part thereof, in

which Figure l shows a broken part of one corner of a clapboarded building with one of my improved adjustable brackets in position supporting one end of the clapboard ready to be marked, sawed off, and finally nailed in place. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detailed elevation of one of my improved brackets, showing the back side, or that side which rests upon a clapboard. f Fig. 3 is a sectional View showing the v adaptability of my improved bracket, which is set as would be required for the clapboards therein shown. Fig. 4e shows in per-V spective a simple modification of my improvements. Fig. 5 is a detached inverted perspective view of the block provided with a spur, which penetrates the bottom edge of a clapboard, and the threaded stud which, passing through a portion of gage, supports the same. Fig. 6 is a front view of the same modification. Fig. 7 is a detached edge view of one part of said modification, and Fig. S is a detached plan of the lower part of the modification of my improved device shown in rig. c.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts. rlhe gage may be formed in two parts A B, the former being graduated upon one side to inches and fractions thereof, as at a. The

movable part B rests at either side of the part A and is perforated, as at o, through which an awl S may be inserted and enter the clapboard, which will hold the improved tool in proper posit-ion, and at the same time form the entering-hole for the nails to be passed through the clapboards W and into the common boarding X, first secured by nails in the ordinary manner to the joists Y.

The movable piece Bis provided with a projection a2, extending'across one side of the purpose of puncturing the under edge of a clapboard. This is best shown in Figs. 2 to 5. At the top of the said piece A a rightangled projection A is provided, and to this may be secured a V-spring E; or by form ing said projection A sufficiently wide, as in Fig. e, two of said springs may be attached thereto, the lastinamed construction being designed for use for gaging a clapi board at a point midway from either end, or thereabout. These springs perform a dou ble service. They press the clapboards hard against the boarding X, and when used sini gly,as seen in Fig. l, they form a straight edge, against which a pencil or scratcher may be used to mark a clapboard to square its corner so as to iit the corner-board V, one edge of said spring, when used singly, being as nearly straight as possible and placed in perfect alignment with the correspending edge of the gage-piece A.

My improved implement may be somewhat inodiiied in its construction, one form forv such modiiication being illustrated by Figs. 6, 7, and 8, in which the piece A2, which carries the spring E, is formed into a grooved tongue, which is adjusted and secured at any desired point within the grooved slot b3 lof the piece B2 by a simple thumb-screw D',

IOO

` down.

threaded to an opening in the said tongue of the piece A2, and provided with an overlapping head d, which, when Well set down, clamps said parts.

When setting a clapboard by means of my improved tool, after squaring its ends the tool shown in Figli may be placed upon the clapboard last nailed in position, so that the stoppiece C will bear against its lower edge, and also the projection b2 of the movable piece B, at a point either midway between the ends of the clapboard to be placed next above or at a point to enable the uniting ends of the next two clapboards to be supported by the part A', and an awl S is then driven through either perforationb of the partB to hold the tool in place, A few nails may then be driven into the clapboard which the gage is supporting, and at either end another of my improved gages may be placed, as seen in Fig. l, close up to the corner-board and secured by an awl, as before, and after driving a nail or two into the upper clapboard near enough to its end to hold it from changing its position, but not so near as to split it, the awl S is drawn out and the gage placed upon the upper board, and a nail is then inserted into the hole made by the aWl in the lower board and driven Thus the awl S makes a hole for the nails at the ends of the clapboards and pre vents them from splitting.

Having described iny invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s-

l, The combination of the part A, provided with a vertical slot and an outward :right-angled projection, as shown, a V-spring secured in an inverted position to said outward proj ection, the movable part B, having perforations ZJ and a projection a2 extending across the front of said part A, provided with a tongue fitting the slot in said part A, a stop-piece C, having a threaded stud c, and a suitable thumb-nut iittin g the latter, all substantially for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination of the part A, provided with a vertical slot and an outward rightangled projection, as shown, a V-spring sc cured in an inverted position to said outward projection, the movable part B, having perforations D and a projection a2 extending across the front of said part A, provided with a tongue iitting the slot in sa1ne,a stop-piece C, having a threaded stud c and a prong c2 for puncturing the under edge of a clapboard, and a suitable thu1nbnut fitting said stud, all substantially for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

BENJAMIN F. MOONEY'.

IVitnesses:

J. B. THURsToN, J. ll. ALBIN. 

